Cow Urine and the Taj Mahal

Welcome back

to Sunday Somewhere, written today from a train chugging along through rural Rajasthan, India. The cabins are air conditioned, the seats are comfortable, and vendors shout all over if we want “chai?! chai?!”

Here’s what we’re covering today:

  • The Taj Mahal
  • Should we drink cow urine?

The Taj Mahal:

Did you know that it’s a grave? Way back when (1631, to be precise) a man named Shah Jahan ruled the Mughal Empirewhich sprawled across present day India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. After his favorite wife died, he decided to build a tribute to match his love for her – The Taj Mahal. By the time it was finished 20 years later, 20,000 people and thousands of elephants had worked to create this massive marble covered structure.

Even after seeing pictures of it essentially my entire life, it was still breathtaking. Something about the size, the white exterior, the symmetry, the towers, and the dome is just gorgeous. An added bonus was that the grounds were well taken care of and spacious, making it extremely nice to visit as a tourist. We spent multiple hours strolling beneath the trees, listening to the parrots, and admiring ‘The Taj’ from each angle possible.

A good angle

Should We Drink Cow Urine in India?

You may think to yourself, “Heck no!!!” But here’s the deal. Some people drink the stuff here. It’s typically used in small doses for Hindu ceremonies and it’s believed to have medicinal properties. In asking locals, they’ve mentioned to us that the former Prime Minister of India, Morarji Desai, used to drink it and he lived to be 99. It’s gotta work, right?

Right now, we’re unsure if we should. On the one hand, it would make for an excellent Youtube video. (And maybe it might be truly good for us?) On the other, we’re not sure if it’s safe. Generally, people claim online that there aren’t many risks, but what if the cow is sick? Plus, there’s the added question of getting it treated or not. By treating it, it will be clean, but more concentrated, which would be both better for our bodies and terrible for our tastebuds. Stay tuned for next week to find out if we do.

A Video to Watch:

Korean food is sooooooo much better than we expected. Not that we expected something bad, but we really didn’t ‘expect’ anything at all. Boy, were we in for a treat. (Or two )

Beware: if you’re hungry, this video will just make it worse.

That’s it for today, folks. I may order some chai, but it’s 4:30 pm now so getting a caffeine spike is probably not the wisest choice.

Thoughts on cow urine? Do you want to visit the Taj Mahal? Do you like Korean Food? Don’t hesitate to reply to this email. Seriously, I will reply back.

Love and Peace, Wyatt and Reyka.

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